Envoy hostel welcomed lots of groups and individual tourists from all parts of the world showing warm hospitality to all its visitors, of which we have had evidence of our guests’ quotes: http://www.envoyhostel.com/visitorbook.php
The one from our Polish guests reads: “Thanking you for a great attitude of your whole staff, for amazing excursions and unforgettable evenings.”
You may think what is extraordinary about having a group from Poland?! The nine friends visited Armenia in February. Many people like traveling in winter time, however you should consider the climatic conditions of the country to make the best use of your time when traveling. We were impressed by the group’s strong stamina to merge day/night into an extended time to see, grasp as much as possible while in Armenia. Actually if you see how they warm themselves up you will understand that no cold can bother their trip :-).
Envoy organized tours for them all around Armenia, Nagorno Karabagh, as well as to Georgia. The first trip was in Yerevan visiting Erebuni museum and ruins of the fortress. The second stop was at Genocide memorial and museum.
The second day we started very early for a long trip to Georgia (for some of our guests the day didn’t start it just continued…). However it didn’t seem long in a good company of friends and anticipation of the country’s beauty and people’s kindness in welcoming strangers and guests. We stopped on the way to see the jewels of NE Armenia - Sanahin and Haghpat monasteries - the outstanding works of medieval Armenian architecture; they are both listed among the UNESCO World Heritage List (1996).
The next day we did a tour to Armenian religious spots. The first sight was Etchmiadzin (Armenian Vatican, as they called the site), the museum with the collection of holy remnants, and nearby churches. Our next stop was in Khor Virap where the history of Armenian Christianity started. This is the place where St. Gregory the Illuminator was imprisoned for 13 years and is one of the most popular places in Armenia with a picturesque view to Ararat Mount on a clear day. The group’s next destination was SE Karabagh. The stop made on the way to Karabagh was considered by the group as very important during winter trips: Armenia’s Wine factory :-). The rest of the trip to Noravank and Karabagh never seemed long! Stepanakert was amazing, as they mentioned, like Albania - small, clean and old. We managed to visit Gandzasar Monastery and Shoushi, the town with impressive cliffs and gorges.
The group’s last day at Envoy was featured by a farewell party. We will always remember our guests and will look forward to seeing them again in Armenia! There are still many beautiful sites to explore with the envoy tours!!
